Anatoli Fedotov

Mighty Duck defenseman Anatoli Fedotov, who spent most of last season with the San Diego Gulls of the International Hockey League, announced his retirement Thursday. He has decided to return to his native Russia. When the Ducks' training camp opened, Fedotov, 28, was absent. He later told General Manager Jack Ferreira he was considering quitting. Fedotov played only three games for the Ducks last season, but had 26 points (14 goals and 12 assists) in 66 games for the Gulls.

Mighty Duck defenseman Anatoli Fedotov, who spent most of last season with the San Diego Gulls of the International Hockey League, announced his retirement Thursday. He has decided to return to his native Russia. When the Ducks' training camp opened, Fedotov, 28, was absent. He later told General Manager Jack Ferreira he was considering quitting. Fedotov played only three games for the Ducks last season, but had 26 points (14 goals and 12 assists) in 66 games for the Gulls.

The $13.5 million the Mighty Ducks spent signing young draft picks this summer might have seemed positively un-Disneylike, but Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner says he approves. "It's just like the movie business. You have to know where to be frugal and where to be generous," said Eisner, who visited camp Wednesday in Anaheim and is back at work after undergoing heart bypass surgery in July. "It's all about talent--and stars and talent may not necessarily be the same," he said.

The Mighty Ducks open training camp next Friday at Anaheim Arena, and the team has announced many sessions will be open to the public at no charge. The opening session from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. next Friday and the Sept. 11 workout from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. will both be open. Schedules for other open workouts have not been announced. Coach Ron Wilson expects about 45 players to report as the team prepares for its first exhibition game Sept. 18 against Pittsburgh at Anaheim Arena.

Hal McRae, one of five black managers in the major leagues, was fired by the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. McRae, 49, was one of the most popular players in team history but did not achieve the same success as a manager. "I think Hal has done everything possible with the club he had," said Royal General Manager Herk Robinson. "He's done a good job. But as we move forward we feel we can find a manager who can better lead us into the next several years with the younger players."

Valeri Karpov, a third-round draft choice who the Mighty Ducks projected could step into the lineup immediately, remains unsigned with no further talks scheduled as players report for training camp today. "He's turned down our offer, so the way it stands, it looks like he'll stay in Russia," said General Manager Jack Ferreira, who had predicted Karpov could add much-needed scoring help.

Allan Bester packed his 69 NHL victories in a bag bound for San Diego on Monday when the Mighty Ducks trimmed their roster to 28, sending two goaltenders and four other players to the minor leagues. But Bester wasn't moping about not making the Ducks. "Not at all," he said. "When I came to this organization, this is what I expected would happen. I hoped I could change the decision, but as far as I was concerned there was very little chance."

Time slipped by and Don McSween wondered if it would ever happen, if he'd ever score an NHL goal, if he'd ever feel the way he did Wednesday night. So many things had to happen just right for McSween that it seemed so far-fetched. But he never stopped dreaming, never quit believing he'd have a great story to tell his son. In the future, he can say he absolutely flew around four defenders, heck, maybe it was five, and unloaded a rocket the goaltender never saw.

Deadlocked. Stupefying as it seems--incredible as it is--the Mighty Ducks are tied with the Kings. At the start of the season, it figured the only time Southern California's two NHL teams would be even in the standings was right then--before anybody had won a game.

The Mighty Ducks' $25-million indemnity fee bought them a piece of the Kings' territory, but it won't buy them a say in the Kings' exhibition-game lineup. Wayne Gretzky won't dress for the Kings' first meeting with the Ducks at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Anaheim Arena, even after the Ducks called the Kings and asked the team if he would. Gretzky, like other NHL superstars, skips some of his team's exhibition games, and will play in only four of the Kings' scheduled eight. When Walt Disney Co.